Torque & Drag

CASING

Objectives
At the end of this module you will be able to:

Explain and define Side Forces

Explain and define Friction Factor

Understand causes of Torque and Drag

Build a Broomstick Plot

Understand the mechanisms to reduce Torque
and Drag

Torque and Drag Uses

Define rig equipment requirements

Determine drillability of the well
Optimize the trajectory and BHA / drill string /bit design
Simulate drilling and completion (casing) runs
Identify problem areas
Determine circumstances for sticking events
Establish mud program needs
Evaluate the effectiveness of hole cleaning actions
Determining reaming, backreaming and short trip
requirements

Torque and Drag Modeling

To understand computer modeling two key
points must be understood:
Model (Representation) noun(C):
a representation of something, either as a physical object
which is usually smaller than the real object, or as a simple
description of the object which might be used in calculations.

Garbage In = Garbage Out

Components Of
Torque & Drag
CASING
SideForces & Friction

The Weight Component of Side Force

incl

weight

Sidewall Forces Tension and DLS

Building Section
tensile

tensile

resultant

tensile
load

resultant

weight
weight

Dropping Section

tensile

resultant

weight

tensile
load

tensile
load

Sidewall Forces Tension and DLS*

Wall force with pipe tension and

DLS:

DLS L T
SF =
18 10 3

Sidewall Forces Tension and

DLS
Wall force with
pipe tension and
DLS:
Wear => Casing,
Drill string
components
DE

Sideforce Components
Wn : side weight = linear weight x sin( inclination )

Wn

Wn

FB

FB

T
Wn

FC
FC

FB

curvature side force

FB : bending side force

(zero in soft string model)

FC = T x string curvature

T
Total Side Force = -Wn + FC + FB

FB

Side Forces - Worst Case Scenario???

DE

Exercise
Example:
Calculate the wall force across a 30 section of 5/100 DLS
considering a tension of 100,000 lbs below the DL.
SF =

Exercise:

5 30 100000
= 2617.91lbf / 30 ft
18 103

KOP of 1500' and a build up to 30 inclination. Our TD is

10,000'. The drillstring tension at 1500' when we are drilling at
TD could be around 180,000 lbs. If the average length of a joint
of drillpipe is 31' and if we want to limit our side force to 2,000
lbs per joint of drillpipe what is the maximum DLS can be used?
18 103 SF 18 103 2000
DLS =
=
= 2.050 / 100 ft
L T
31180000

The Stiffness Component of Side Force

When does stiffness start to become a factor?

5 drill pipe
16 deg/100ft
3 1/2 drill pipe 22 deg/100ft

Stiffness BHA as a Hollow Cylinder

Stiffness Coefficient = E
xI
where:
E = Youngs Modulus
(lb/in2)
I = Moment of Inertia (in4)
Moment of Inertia
I = p (OD4 - ID4) 64
OD = outside diameter
ID = inside diameter
DE

Stiffness BHA as a Hollow Cylinder

Which one is more stiff?

Drill Collar?

DE

Drill Pipe?
Casing?
Liner?

The Buckling Component of SideForce

Fb
Fb
Fb

String is in compression

Fb

Sinusoidal & Helical Buckling

DE

DE

Buckling - Worst Case Scenario???

DE

Dawson-Pasley Buckling Criteria

FCR

E I K B W sin
= 2
r

FCR = Critical sinusoidal buckling load (lbs)

= Inclination of the hole at the point of interest (deg)

E = Young' s Modulus
K B = Buoyancy factor (unitless)
I

= Moment of inertia (inch 4 )

W = Unit weight in air (lbs/in)

r = Radial clearance between pipe tool joint and hole (in)

DE

Guidelines for Analyzing Buckling

Problems
Sinusoidal buckling is an indication of the onset of fatigue wear.

Classical Sinusoidal buckling is defined by Dawson & Pasley 82
(SPE 11167) with references to Lubinski in 62.

Modified Sinusoidal buckling defined by Schuh in 91 (SPE
21942) and is used in Drilling Office.
Helical buckling generally results in side force loads.

Helical buckling defined by Mitchell (SPE 15470) and Kwon (SPE
14729) in 86.
Generally Helical buckling should be considered at compressional
loads 2 times those calculated for Sinusoidal buckling

Summary
Four Components of Side Force
Weight

always a consideration, light drill pipe in

Horizontal wells

Tensile

more pronounced with high tension and high

dog legs
negligible effect with dog legs less than 15
deg/100ft
high compressional loads with neutral point
significantly
above the bit (near surface)

Stiffness
Buckling

Stiff vs. Soft String Model

Soft String
Stiff String

Drill string always in
Drill string curvature can
contact with the borehole
be different than wellbore

Contact area, curvature
Contact
areas
are
side
forces
are
reduced, more realistic
overestimated
side forces

More accurate torque loss
calculation in a low
inclination wellbore

Borehole/Drill string contact

LOW TORTUOSITY WELLS
(local DLS << well curvature)

Three main components of

Wn

side force

Side weight

Curvature side force

Bending side force

STIFF & SOFT

STRINGTORTUOSITY
/ BOREHOLE CONTACT
HIGH
WELLS

(local DLS >> well curvature)

Wn

Wn

Stiff- and soft-string models

SOFTSTRING/ BOREHOLECONTACT

give the same result for an

untortuous plan

Wn
Wn

T
STIFFSTRING/ BOREHOLECONTACT

T : axial load,
Wn : component of
drillstring weight
perpendicular to
borehole axis

Something Additional!!
Tortuosity in Planned Trajectories
Why add tortuosity to plans?

Account for more than Ideal T&D numbers

Allows more consistent results between different

engineers
Account for drilling system used

Recommended Values (no offset data)

DE

Vertical, tangent sections 0.75/100ftperiod

Build, drop sections 1.5/100ft period

Turn only sections 1.0/100ft period

Friction
It is the resistance to motion that exists when a solid
object is moved tangentially with respect to another
which it touches.

Friction

Motion
W

Coefficient Of Friction and Critical angle

The frictional drag force is proportional to the normal force.

The coefficient of friction is independent of the apparent area
of contact

When does the Pipe Stop Moving?

Tan -1 (1/FF) = Inclination

Effect of Friction (no doglegs)

Effect of Friction (no doglegs)

(a) Lowering: Friction opposes motion, so

T = W cos I Ff
T = W cos I W sin I
(b) Raising: Friction still opposes motion
T = W cos I + Ff

T = W cos I + W sin I

Exercise 1
What is the maximum hole angle (inclination angle) that
can be logged without the aid of drillpipe, coiled tubing,
other tubulars or sinker bars?
(assume
FF = 0.4)

Friction Factors
In reality, Friction Factor (FF) used in modeling is not
a true sliding coefficient of friction. It acts as a
correlation coefficient that lumps together the friction
forces caused by various effects, including friction.
Typically the FF will depend on a combination of
effects including:

Formation

Mud type

Roughness of Support

Tortuosity

Borehole Condition

Friction Factors - Rotation

Rotating

Sliding

Backreaming
Friction Vector

RPM
Vector
Drilling Friction
Vector
Backreaming friction factor from
weight loss/overpull while drill
string is rotating 0<<0.05
Drilling Friction from torque loss
while drill string is rotating 0.1<
<0.3

Sliding
Friction
Vector
Sliding Velocity
(ROP)

Sliding Friction Factor from

weight loss/overpull while drill
string is not rotating 0.1< <0.3

Friction Factors
Are a function of the materials involved (pipe to formation
or pipe to casing) and the lubricity of the fluid (mud)
between them
0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Water based
mud
Oil based
mud
(40% reduction)

Rotational
.22 - .28
Translation
.03 - .07
Sliding (not rotating).28 - .40 --.55

.13 - .17
.02 - .05
.17 - .25 -- .33

CASING

Stress
A point within a body under loading can be subjected to
FOUR possible types of stresses:

NORMAL STRESS,
BENDING STRESS,
SHEAR STRESS,
TORSIONAL STRESS

The magnitude of these stresses is dependent on the

loading conditions of the body of interest.

DE

Normal Stress
Normal Stress is the intensity of the net forces acting normal
(perpendicular) to an infinitely small area A within an object
per unit area.
If the normal stress acting on A pulls on it, then it is referred to
as tensile stress,
If it pushes on the area, it is called compressive stress.

DE

Bending Stress
Bending
Stress

E D
2R

(*)

E = Youngs Modulus (psi)

D = Diameter of the Tubular
(inches)
R = Radius of Curvature
(inches) (*)
SPE 37353

Drill-Pipe Bending and Fatigue in Rotary Drilling of Horizontal Wells - Jiang Wu

DE

Shear Stress
Shear Stress is the intensity of force per unit area, acting
tangent to A.
If the supports are considered rigid, and P is large enough, the
material of the bar will deform and fail along the planes AB and
CD.

DE

Torsional Stress
=

FS
x

Gd N
12 L
or

= 6 d

Q
J

Where Q =

G J N
72 L

G Shear Modulus of steel, 12 106 psi

N Number of turns in the drill pipe string, rev
Q Torque applied to the DP, ft.lb
L Length of Drillpipe string, ft
d Internal diameter of the pipe, inches
J Polar moment of inertia,

FS
Shear Stress
A = G (Shear Modulus)
=
Shear Strain

DE

32

D 4 d 4 ; inch 4

Richard Von Mises

Von Mises
Stress

(( ) + (
axial

))

bending

+ 3

2
torsional

Axial, Bending and Torsional Stresses combined

Total Stress of the drillstring component [psi]

DE

Torque & Drag

CASING
Definitions & Monitoring

Torque and Drag - Definition

Torque Losses
Are defined as the difference between the torque
applied at the rig floor and the torque generated at
the bit. Also referred to as rotating friction.

Drag losses
It is the difference between the static weight of the
drillstring and the weight under movement. Also
referred to as sliding friction.
drag = sideforce x friction factor
torque = sideforce x friction factor x radius

Overpull / Slack-Off

Torque

Torque and Drag Monitoring Why

Track hole condition and deterioration

Determine hole cleaning efficiency

Evaluate cuttings bed formation

Determine limitation of equipment and maximum achievable

depths

Determine mud lubricity effects

Determine effects of mud weight and mud property changes

Build a friction factor database

Understand problems encountered when running casing/liners

Optimize string configurations and BHA and need for torque

reducers

Parameters to monitor
A total of 4 measurements required to monitor T&D
T r ip p in g H o o k lo a d s
0
C S G 0 . 4 0 O P H 0 . 4 0 T r ip in
1 ,0 0 0

C S G 0 . 2 0 O P H 0 . 2 0 T r ip in

2 ,0 0 0

C S G 0 .0 0 O P H 0 .0 0
C S G 0 . 2 0 O P H 0 . 2 0 T r ip o u t

3 ,0 0 0

C S G 0 . 4 0 O P H 0 . 4 0 T r ip o u t
IN C L

4 ,0 0 0
5 ,0 0 0
6 ,0 0 0
7 ,0 0 0

9 ,0 0 0
1 0 ,0 0 0
1 1 ,0 0 0
1 2 ,0 0 0

Inclination

9 5/8" Casing String

8 ,0 0 0

1 3 ,0 0 0
1 4 ,0 0 0
1 5 ,0 0 0
1 6 ,0 0 0
1 7 ,0 0 0
1 8 ,0 0 0
1 9 ,0 0 0
2 0 ,0 0 0
2 1 ,0 0 0

T IH H o o k lo a d s

8.5

Measured Depth (ft)

Hookloads

Picking Up

at least 5-6 meters
with a constant
speed

Slacking Off

at least 5-6 meters
movement with a
constant speed

Rotating off bottom

at least 1-2 meters
off bottom
Torque

Off bottom torque @
rotary speed

2 2 ,0 0 0

P O H H o o k lo a d s

2 3 ,0 0 0

F F = 0 .0
2 4 ,0 0 0
2 5 ,0 0 0
0

50

100

150

200

250

300

H o o k lo a d (k lb s )

350

400

450

500

550

Torque and Drag Monitoring When

At every connection
While tripping in/out
Prior to drilling out/going back into open hole
After major inclination and azimuth changes
Before, during and after wiper trips
Before and after circulating bottoms up and pumping sweeps
After a mud type change and major mud proprieties change
Before and after additions of torque reducers
At TD before and after hole has been cleaned
In case of running casing, monitor drag values every 3-5 joints

Torque and Drag Monitoring

After drilling down each connection,

reciprocate the stand with good

circulation and rotation to ensure good
hole cleaning and any cuttings are clear
of the BHA and to determine if the hole is
free (situation may be different for
different rigs/company procedures, so at
each connection, pump/ream the last
stand as necessary and as per
instructions, for each hole size, angle,
formation type, etc).
200

100

Martin Decker

300

Torque and Drag Monitoring

A few meters off bottom,

400

Martin Decker

600

T r ip p in g H o o k lo a d s
0

1 ,0 0 0
2 ,0 0 0
3 ,0 0 0

C S G

0 .4 0 O P H

0 . 4 0 T r ip in

C S G

0 .2 0 O P H

0 . 2 0 T r ip in

C S G

0 .0 0 O P H

0 .0 0

C S G

0 .2 0 O P H

0 . 2 0 T r ip o u t

C S G

0 .4 0 O P H

0 . 4 0 T r ip o u t

IN C L

4 ,0 0 0
5 ,0 0 0
6 ,0 0 0
7 ,0 0 0

9 ,0 0 0
1 0 ,0 0 0
1 1 ,0 0 0
1 2 ,0 0 0

Inclination

9 5/8" Casing String

8 ,0 0 0

Measured Depth (ft)

1 3 ,0 0 0
1 4 ,0 0 0
1 5 ,0 0 0
1 6 ,0 0 0
1 7 ,0 0 0
1 8 ,0 0 0

2-3 m

1 9 ,0 0 0
2 0 ,0 0 0
2 1 ,0 0 0

T IH

8.5

200

obtain rotating string

weight and torque at
drilling RPM and flow rate.
If the T&D modeling is
done correctly, this weight
should be on top of the
FF=0 line

2 2 ,0 0 0

H o o k lo a d s

P O H

H o o k lo a d s

2 3 ,0 0 0

F F = 0 .0
2 4 ,0 0 0
2 5 ,0 0 0
0

5 0

1 0 0

1 5 0

2 0 0

2 5 0

3 0 0

H o o k lo a d (k lb s )

3 5 0

4 0 0

4 5 0

5 0 0

5 5 0

Torque and Drag Monitoring

A few meters off bottom,

10000

Torque Gauge

0
100

Drilling Torque FF Calibration

200
Off-btm Torque

300

CH=0.25, OH=0.30

400
133/8"C
asing

CH=0.20, OH=0.20

500
600
700

Note: Added 1.5K needed

to turn top-drive.

800
900
1,000
M
easuredD
epth(m
)

1,100
1,200
1,300
1,400
1,500
1,600
1,700
1,800

14.75

5000

obtain rotating string weight

and torque at drilling RPM
and flow rate. If the T&D
15000 modeling is done correctly,
this weight should be on top
of the FF=0 line

1,900
2,000

2-3 m

2,100
2,200
2,300
2,400
2,500
2,600
0

10
Torque (kft-lbs)

15

20

Torque and Drag Monitoring

Stop rotary and obtain pick up

400

Martin Decker

T r ip p in g H o o k lo a d s
0

1 ,0 0 0
2 ,0 0 0
3 ,0 0 0

C S G

0 .4 0 O P H

0 . 4 0 T r ip in

C S G

0 .2 0 O P H

0 . 2 0 T r ip in

C S G

0 .0 0 O P H

0 .0 0

C S G

0 .2 0 O P H

0 . 2 0 T r ip o u t

C S G

0 .4 0 O P H

0 . 4 0 T r ip o u t

IN C L

4 ,0 0 0
5 ,0 0 0
6 ,0 0 0
7 ,0 0 0

9 ,0 0 0
1 0 ,0 0 0

5-6 m

1 1 ,0 0 0
1 2 ,0 0 0

Inclination

9 5/8" Casing String

8 ,0 0 0

Measured Depth (ft)

1 3 ,0 0 0
1 4 ,0 0 0
1 5 ,0 0 0
1 6 ,0 0 0
1 7 ,0 0 0
1 8 ,0 0 0

2-3 m

1 9 ,0 0 0
2 0 ,0 0 0
2 1 ,0 0 0

T IH

8.5

200

(P/U) weight on up pipe

movement, at least 5-6 meters,
record both maximum PU weight
and normal PU weight . (Static
600and dynamic frictions)

2 2 ,0 0 0

H o o k lo a d s

P O H

H o o k lo a d s

2 3 ,0 0 0

F F = 0 .0
2 4 ,0 0 0
2 5 ,0 0 0
0

5 0

1 0 0

1 5 0

2 0 0

2 5 0

3 0 0

3 5 0

4 0 0

4 5 0

5 0 0

5 5 0

Torque and Drag Monitoring

400

Martin Decker

600

T r ip p in g H o o k lo a d s
0
1 ,0 0 0

2 ,0 0 0
3 ,0 0 0

C S G

0 .4 0 O P H

0 . 4 0 T r ip in

C S G

0 .2 0 O P H

0 . 2 0 T r ip in

C S G

0 .0 0 O P H

0 .0 0

C S G

0 .2 0 O P H

0 . 2 0 T r ip o u t

C S G

0 .4 0 O P H

0 . 4 0 T r ip o u t

IN C L

4 ,0 0 0
5 ,0 0 0
6 ,0 0 0
7 ,0 0 0

5-6 m

1 1 ,0 0 0
1 2 ,0 0 0

Inclination

9 ,0 0 0
1 0 ,0 0 0

9 5/8" Casing String

8 ,0 0 0

Measured Depth (ft)

1 3 ,0 0 0
1 4 ,0 0 0
1 5 ,0 0 0
1 6 ,0 0 0
1 7 ,0 0 0
1 8 ,0 0 0

2-3 m

1 9 ,0 0 0
2 0 ,0 0 0
2 1 ,0 0 0
2 2 ,0 0 0

8.5

200

Obtain the slack off (S/O)

weight on the down
movement of the pipe while
returning the pipe 5-6
meters to bottom. Record
both minimum slack off and
normal slack off weights.

T IH

H o o k lo a d s

P O H

2 3 ,0 0 0

F F = 0 .0
2 4 ,0 0 0
2 5 ,0 0 0

H o o k lo a d s

Torque and Drag Monitoring How

Moving the drill string at the same speed

Take the least affected, steady weight indicator reading

Turn pumps off and take P/U and S/O weights and repeat
previous steps above, before the connection

Take the circulating readings at the same flow rate (for each
hole section) to avoid the potential influence/interference of
hydraulic lift.

While tripping out, just obtain the pick-up weights. Obtain

the slack-off weights while running in.

Pumps on readings can be used to estimate maximum

depth achievable while drilling

For running casing/liner, get the S/O weights while running.

Typical Hookload Behavior (POOH)

Hook Position

Picking up off
the slips,
maximum
hookload (this
represents the
static friction
factor). This
will help us
monitor if we
are getting
closer to rig
limits
Steady
hookload while
moving the drill
string up (This
represents the
dynamic
friction factor).
This hookload
needs to be
used in the
T&D charts

Torque & Drag

Examples
Hole ConditionCASING
Monitoring

13 3/8" Casing String

Poor Hole Cleaning Example

6,000

12 Tangent Section

7,000

LWD Gamma Ray

Curve

9,000
10,000
11,000
12,000
13,000
12 1/4 OH

Measured Depth (ft)

8,000

14,000
15,000
16,000

Pick-up hookloads
indicating poor hole
cleaning in tangent
section

Pick/Up Wt.

17,000
18,000
19,000
20,000

Slack-Off Wt.

Gamma
Ray

Rotating Wt.

21,000
175

200

225

250

275

300

325

350

Hookloads (klbs)

375

400

425

450

475

500

525

Poor Hole Cleaning- Advanced

67 degrees

Break-outs

Rig with Pump Pressure

Limitations

HC problems

Short Trip

30% FF deterioration

Casing Running - Good

Casing Running - Poor

Gamma ray

Increasing drag running 9

5/8 casing due to hanging
in ledges in wellbore

Drag improves once

circulation is established to
clean hole
Hookload remaining constant
while running in hole, indicating
increase drag. Casing becomes
stuck off-bottom at 15,100 feet.

Torque & Drag

Management
CASING
Further Considerations

Drillstring Design Sections

Section
Type

Function

Desired
Characteristics

Desired
Considerations

BHA

Directional
Control

Stiff, Light
Weight

Minimize T&D

II

DP

Transfer
Weight

Stiff, Light
Weight

Minimize T&D,
Adequate buckling
resistance

III

DP or
HWDP

Transfer
Weight

Stiff, Light
Weight

Minimize T&D,
Increased buckling
resistance

IV

HWDP

Transfer /
Provide
Weight

Stiff, Moderate
Weight

Increased buckling
resistance

HWDP
or DC

Provide
Weight

Concentrated
Weight

Transition component

VI

DP

Support
Weight

High Tensile and

Torsional Limits

Provide adequate
tensile and torsional
margins

Managing Torque and Drag

Torque Reduction

Well Trajectory

Cased Hole

Open Hole

Mud Lubricity

Lubricating Beads

Use of LCM

Torque reducers
Well path considerations

Trajectory

Bottom hole
Assemblies

Optimum Profile

Drag Optimization

Well Profile

Mud Lubricity

Drill pipe protectors

Buckling Effects

Weight Distribution

Hole Cleaning

Down hole Motors

Rotation

Steerable Rotary Systems

General Guidelines for T&D Optimization

String design can help overcome existing drag

Place heaviest Drill String Components in the vertical hole section

Keep tortuosity and doglegs to a minimum (Optimization of well
trajectory)

Use rotary steerable system if feasible

Use torque reducing subs where side forces are the highest
Ensure proper hole cleaning.
Lubricants can be used to effectively reduce Torque and Drag
temporarily.

Run Torque and Drag simulations at several key depths, not just at TD to
monitor hole cleaning

Torque and Drag are caused by lateral forces and friction in the wellbore

BHAs should be designed to achieve the desired build/turn tendencies
with the maximum amount of rotary drilling.

Bit torque should be monitored

Torque & Drag Reduction

Questions??